The necessity of the Bible

Years ago, the movie Castaway came out, in which Tom Hanks played a FedEx worker whose company plane went down, stranding him on a desert island for years. Not long after that FedEx ran a Super Bowl commercial that spoofed the movie "Castaway." Looking like a man who had been stranded on an island, the FedEx employee in the commercial goes up to the door of a suburban home, package in hand. 

When the lady comes to the door he explains that he survived five years on a desert island and during that whole time he kept this package in order to deliver it to her. She gives a simple, "Thank you." 

But he is curious about what is in the package that he has been protecting for years. He says, "If I may ask, what was in that package after all?" She opens it and shows him the contents, saying, "Oh, nothing really. Just a satellite telephone, a GPS device, a compass, a water purifier, and some seeds."

In the same way that we would greatly desire essential survival items that would be necessary for rescue, the Bible is necessary to follow God's rescue plan for the world. In order to be rescued from the curse of sin and death, the Bible is necessary to know how to be saved through Jesus. It is the cross and resurrection of Jesus that makes it possible to have restored peace with God and a reconciled relationship with the Lord.

Faith and trust in Jesus Christ is the ONLY saving plan to restore us to peace with God. And the only way to know about God's rescue plan is through hearing this through the Bible. Without God's Word, a person would not know how Jesus can save us.

Speaking then of believing and trusting in Jesus, Romans 10 tells us, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!" But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed our message?" Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message and the message is heard through the word of Christ." (Romans 10:13-17)

Without the Bible in front of us it would be impossible to know how to live and act and to pattern my life to please God. The Bible is necessary to have God's instructions and commands.

Survival in the wilderness or even on a desert island depends upon the necessary tools or information to eventually be rescued. The Bible is essential to show us God's plan to rescue us through Jesus Christ.